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garam masala

WAZA avatar
Recipe by
Bibi Maizoon
@WAZA
Sonoma, CA

A blend of aromatic spices commonly used in South Asian cooking.

yield 12 serving(s)
prep time 20 Min
cook time 10 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For garam masala

  • 1 tbs green cardamoms/elaichi
  • 7 brown cardamoms/kali elaichi
  • 4 tsp cloves/laung
  • 4 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
  • 1&1/2 tbs black peppercorns/kali mirch
  • 4 one & half inch pieces of cassia bark/dalchini (or cinnamon sticks)
  • 3 mace jackets/javatri (or 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg or allspice)

How To Make garam masala

  • 1
    For raw/unroasted garam masala- Coarsely grind all spices until roughly the texture of coffee grounds. Traditionally a mortar & pestle or "sil batta" was used to get this texture. Garam masala is not supposed to be like that finely ground powdery stuff you see sold at stores. To get the traditional 'coffee grounds' texture we're looking for use the 'pulse' button on your mixie, food processor, or coffee grinder until you get the desired results. If you are using a coffee grinder or small mixie jar you might want to grind each spice separately in batches to get a consistent texture. Breaking the cassia bark (or cinnamon sticks) into smaller pieces before grinding helps also. Store in an airtight container out of sunlight.
  • 2
    Fast & easy dry roasting oven method- 1) Preheat oven to 220F/100C. 2) Spread all spices (except mace, nutmeg or allspice) over 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan or cookie sheet. Bake spices for 10 minutes. 3) Allow to cool completely & grind coarsely (including mace, nutmeg, or allspice) using pulse button in mixie, food processor, or coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container out of sunlight.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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